Collections

ArchaeologySheffield's archaeology collections include material excavated from Sheffield and the Peak District region as well as objects from Ancient Egyptian, Roman and other non-British societies.

IvoriesThe Grice Collection of Chinese Ivories contains around 150 items, most dating from the 1700s and 1800s. They were largely made to be ornamental rather than to be used and were produced for the growing export trade to European collectors.

MetalworkSheffield's metalwork collection is one of the finest in the world. It contains the cutlery, flatware, tableware and personal objects that have made Sheffield famous, plus beautiful objects collected from every continent.

Natural HistorySheffield's natural science collection contains over 120,000 biological and 60,000 geological specimens. The collections are important repositories of scientific data and historical information. The jewels of the collection include the Gatty collection of marine life, the Salt collection of 18th century plants, the collections of Henry Clifton Sorby and one of the best collections of Carboniferous fossils in the country.

Ruskin CollectionThe Ruskin Collection, also known as the Guild of St George Collection, was originally formed by the influential Victorian artist, writer and critic John Ruskin as an educational resource for the people of Sheffield. It was first displayed in the Museum of St George at Walkley in 1875.

Social HistoryThe Social History collections contain thousands of objects representing the everyday and exceptional lives of local people from around 1500 to the present day.

Visual ArtSheffield has a rich and varied collection of over 5,000 paintings, watercolours, prints, drawings, photographs and sculpture that portray the development of British and European art from the 17th century to the present day.

World CulturesA collection of around 2,000 objects reflecting the historical links between Sheffield, Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Pacific.

Trying something new can be a little bit scary, but what a great feeling when you make the connection. We're trying new things all the time and we want you to try them too, so come with us and we'll help connect you with art, nature, history, ideas - and each other.